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Tag: Exercise

Is a question I have been asked recently on more than one occasion! You’ve lost weight before and then gained it plus more, you’ve started a fitness drive before and then given up. What’s different this time? Is it going to be any different this time?

And the answer is….
It is different this time – or atleast it feels different this time!

I can list the times I’ve gone on a fitness mission. I’ve never tried to lose weight without exercising. Diets alone don’t do it for me. I get bored, I can’t bear conversations about calorific contents and which item on the menu has the least points. It all sounds so self righteous- especially when people tell you they’ve “been good today” and they are actually talking about what they’ve put in their mouth (or not!)
So there’s the time I lost loads of weight for a holiday by going to the gym four times a week and going on the cross trainer for a solid hour at a time. That was effective but boring. And as soon as I got to Ibiza I moved on.
I went on a drastic mission for my best friends wedding shortly followed by my sisters wedding, as I didn’t want to be the only bridesmaid in a different dress. I did various forms of cardio at the gym – and bored myself to death but I was determined!
Again, wedding over and routine forgotten.
The next time was for my own wedding. I went all out this time, got a PT, did two sessions a week plus ran three kilometres twice a week and went on a strict paleo diet and lost three stone in three months. I even managed to maintain this for about six months and lose another stone. Then my PT moved to South Africa and I gave up.
By the time my PT had moved back to the UK 18 months later I had regained all of the pre-wedding weight- and more. With no idea how to motivate myself, and no reason to keep going I just gave up completely.
Since then training has been on and off, as we have both struggled to find consistency and a routine that works for both of us.
The thing that I missed most- much more than the number on the weighing scales- was the social aspect of training, and the feeling of achieving and progressing and getting somewhere. I missed how I felt after training, completely exhausted but also exhilarated. When I don’t train I feel more lethargic, my skin feels dry and spotty, I feel like I’m not taking care of myself emotionally or physically. I also feel like all I do is work, sleep and socialise- and I miss the balance and grounding that I get from working out.
So what’s different this time?

There’s no end goal, no wedding, no target weight, it’s just one day at time!

There’s no cross trainer for an hour- it’s fun, it’s weights and conditioning, it’s lively and I can see my progress!

I’m not reliant on one person- I’m doing team training and supported by lots of people

It’s social, and chatty and interesting

I’ve got a routine that works for me. I can fit training into a busy working week.

I’m not doing anything radical foodwise. I’m making adjustments rather than overhaul. If I am going out and fancy the chocolate brownie then I’m having it and I’m not going to feel guilty, I’m just back on it the next day. I’m also trying to have fun trying out new healthy recipes and keeping food interesting – steak and peanut butter for breakfast gets boring pretty quick!

I’m trying to understand myself more- when things go wrong what happened. How can I avoid getting to the point where I’m so hungry I’ll eat anything! How can I not get overtired and want to spend the whole weekend on the sofa!

I’ve got some fitness related goals to focus on and work towards, tough mudder is now in the diary, a fitness retreat in Ibiza and a weekend in Bournemouth. They all give me something to look forward to and keep working towards.

I’m focussed on doing the right things to drive the right results, not the result itself. Eating healthily and moving more will result in a hotter bod!!! It really is that simple.

I know that what makes me happy isn’t how much I weigh. I’m not getting depressed if I gain a pound in a week. And being thin isn’t all that life is about. I think that I expected that losing weight would mean that I joined a magic club where I was part of a group of people who were happy because they weren’t overweight. That doesn’t exist and happiness comes from the inside and I can be happy whatever I look like!

And I’m really enjoying the journey! So as long as that continues I know I will stay motivated and get the results I know I am capable of achieving!

Sunday mornings used to be about hangovers, lie ins, even home DIY, shopping, cleaning, washing and cooking, but these days they are predominantly about how hard I can train!

I started the morning with Protein Pancakes which are so easy to make- just mix 30g of protein pow cooking whey with a banana and two eggs in a nutribullet and fry in coconut oil. AMAZING!

Breakfast done, I was off to Team Training!

This mornings class involved a warm up with Michelle, and then working in pairs and doing sets of 18, 15 and then 12 of two exercises off the board below while your partner held the third position. There were three exercise stations and it was a killer – especially the box overs and burpees which we did last!

After an hour of that it was time for a kickboxing class! This class combines cardio and boxing routines to both improve fitness and ability. It’s really hard- especially if you’ve never done anything like it before, but it really pushes you to the limit and challenges you like nothing else! It is hard doing it after team training but it goes to show that when you think you’ve got nothing left you can find it somewhere if you dig deep.

Both classes were all female, and the atmosphere is fun, encouraging and supportive. No one judges each other, and they genuinely want them to do well.

Being asthmatic, this kind of exercise is really hard and getting out of breath is scary and stressful but I am learning to control my breathing now rather than panic, and as my fitness improves so does my asthma. This week I survived two hours of intense training without having to use my inhaler, which really goes to show what progress I am making.

It’s a massive sense of achievement to get through a Sunday morning like that, and I am now recovering by sitting in the hairdressers for the afternoon being pampered- it’s all about balance after all!